Robert Randolph and the Family Band opened the show. Although the band sounded great the vibe at the venue was not cool. We were about halfway back and it reminded me of my college days when you'd have a bunch of frat guys and sorrority girls not paying attention to the show and just talking. The conversations around us often were louder than the band themselves.

This was my first outing to the Hollywood Bowl and although the vibe wasn't great the venue made for a spectacular visual.

Highlights of the show for me were Loving Wings -> Where Are You Going, and Louisiana Bayou.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

If you've clicked my pictures recently I'm now hosting them with google. It ties into their Picasa photo product and makes it easy to publish to the web. A link to get the product is under my links and can also be found here.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

The day was a great day. The event was at Baba Yega's where the original double wedding occured with Jacki and I (plus Darian) and Lisa and Jeff. When the double wedding occurred at Baba Yega's I always joked that this is the wedding my Mom always wanted. She planned everything, coordinated everything and even chose the place. Well now her day has finally come.

The wedding was in the early evening and I was responsible for getting my Mom and Maureen to the event. For once in her life she wasn't 2 hours early. This was probably the first time ever where she was almost casually late, of course she wasn't, but almost. And in true Mom fashion she tried to micromanage the event from the phone as we drove to Baba Yega's.

Before the wedding started the funniest moment came from Cindy, Jacki and Darian. They left early to get things set up at the event. Little did my Mom know, but they were actually on a side mission to deck out her and Marvin's hotel room. They had gone through their planning, had even called the hotel to confirm they'd be able to get into the hotel room to set things up. As they strolled into the hotel they see Marvin sitting out front, munching on popcorn and waiting for his ride from Jim. They just simply asked him for his key, he said nothing, handed them the key, and continued to munch on popcorn. Once the mission was complete they went back out to the lobby but he had already left for the wedding.

As this occurred my Mom was having me call Jacki to find out if they had made it to Baba Yega's. Her first question, "Can your mom hear me?" So she tells me about the hotel and Marvin and how they haven't made it to Baba Yega's yet. So I told my Mom, that yes they were at Baba Yega's meeting guests and getting things prepared. What my Mom doesn't know won't hurt her.

When we arrived, since we were a little late, the ceremony immediately started. The service was nice, although due to Lisa not speaking up I ended up stealing my Mom's line. The minister asks "who gives away this woman", since I wasn't at rehearsal Lisa was supposed to speak for both her and I. After a few seconds of pause and no Lisa, I said "I do". Not the thing to say at the wedding if you aren't the bride or groom. Then of course Lisa chimes in "I do" as well. A quick laugh from the crowd, and the minister ends up saying what we were supposed to say and then it was back on track.

The ceremony was short and simple and worked very well. Afterwards there was a large reception with food and cake. Before we headed upstairs to the reception we did the after wedding pictures. The garden setting of Baba Yega's made for a perfect backdrop.

Upstairs it was great to see many friends of the family we hadn't seen in many years. Everyone appeared to have a great time and most of all it looked to be the happiest I've seen my Mom in many years. It was a beautiful day.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Pierson. Marvin, welcome to the family.

PS. A link to all the pictures is coming soon. I'll have them all up in the next week or so.